English for Beginners: Learn all the CONSONANT SOUNDS

0:00 Hello.

0:00 I'm Gill at engVid, and today's lesson is on consonants in English.

0:07 Okay?

0:08 So all the consonant sounds, not the vowel sounds, but the consonant sounds.

0:16 So, just to explain that the way I've got them

0:20 written up on the board here is this column here,

0:25 and then down in this column down to the line,

0:30 they are pairs of consonants because they are formed in the same way,

0:36 the way you shape your mouth to make that sound.

0:41 They're the same way that you form your mouth,

0:45 but you put more force behind some of them than the others.

0:51 They're lighter and heavier, but they're the same shape.

0:54 And then the rest of them below this line

0:58 are single consonants that don't belong in a pair.

1:03 So, I think that will become clearer as I start

1:07 to go through them and demonstrate how to make the sound.

1:13 Okay, so first of all,

1:16 and also to explain that I've put the phonetic symbols at the side for...

1:22 Don't worry if you don't know the phonetic symbols; you don't need to know them.

1:29 This is maybe for people who have

1:32 learnt the phonetic symbols who find them useful, so don't worry if...

1:38 You certainly don't need to learn these.

1:42 I have difficulty remembering them all myself, so don't worry.

1:46 As long as you know how to pronounce it, that's the main thing.

1:51 But these are to show that each one is a different sound.

1:57 So, the first pair, then, is "p" and "b",

2:02 so as they appear in the example words "pen" and "back".

2:08 So, it's "p", "p", "p", "b", "b", "b".

2:13 So, you can see what I mean by the pair

2:17 of consonants formed in the same way by your mouth.

2:22 You put your lips together, "p", "p", "b", "b".

2:27 And the difference is just that the "p",

2:32 the "p" sound is lighter, and the "b" sound is heavier.

2:37 You use your vocal cords more to make the "b" sound.

2:43 "p", "p", "p", "b", "b", "b".

2:45 So, feel free to repeat them after me, each one as I say it.

2:52 "p", "p", "p", "b", "b", "b".

2:56 So, "pen", "back".

2:58 Okay?

2:59 So that's the first pair.

3:03 Then the second pair is "t" and "d".

3:09 So, again, in your mouth you'll feel that your tongue

3:14 is going up to the roof of your mouth,

3:19 "t", and then coming away again, "t", "t", "t", like that.

3:25 "d", "d", "d".

3:27 So, the "t" is lighter, "d" is heavier.

3:32 So, we've got "t" as in "tea", "tea", "tea", and "d" as in "day", "day", "day".

3:45 Okay.

3:46 Good.

3:47 Right, the next pair, so we have "ch", "ch", "ch", and "j", "j", "j".

3:58 And you can feel, I hope, in your mouth,

4:03 your tongue is in the same position for both of those, "ch",

4:10 "ch", "ch", "j", "j", "j".

4:12 And the only difference is the "j" is a strong sound.

4:19 Okay?

4:20 So, "ch" as in "cheer", "cheer", and "j", spelt with a "j",

4:29 but this is the phonetic symbol for it, "j", "j", "j".

4:35 So, we have "cheer" and "jump", "cheer", "jump".

4:41 "Ch", "ch", "ch", "j", "j", "j", "j".

4:48 Okay?

4:49 Good.

4:50 And the next pair are "th", "th", "th", "th", "th", "th".

4:58 So, for this one, if you do it, you can feel your top teeth on your bottom lip,

5:06 like that, almost as if you're going to bite your lip, like that.

5:12 "Th", "th", "th", "th", "th", "th".

5:16 You might feel it tickles a little bit, "th".

5:21 If I do that...

5:23 See if you can do that as a long, continuous sound,

5:27 "th", it really tickles at my bottom lip when I do that.

5:34 So, "th", "th", "th", "th", "th".

5:39 So, "few", "few", "few", and "view", "view", "view".

5:49 Right?

5:51 Then we have...

5:52 You might think "th", we have "th" twice.

5:56 You might like to watch my other video

6:00 on the two different ways of pronouncing "th",

6:03 because again, one is lighter, the other is heavier.

6:08 So, it's "th" as in "thing", and "th" as in "then".

6:17 "Thing", "then".

6:18 So this second one is heavier, using more of your vocal cords.

6:24 Okay?

6:24 And those are the symbols for those.

6:28 So, "thing", "then", and your tongue is touching your front teeth, top teeth.

6:35 "Th", "th", "th", "th", "th", "th" for both of those.

6:41 Okay?

6:42 And then the next pair is "sh", "sh", "sh" as in "fish",

6:48 and "zh", "zh", "zh" as in "pleasure", "pleasure", "zh".

6:55 So, "sh", "zh", "sh", "zh".

6:59 And the second one, all...

7:02 All of these, the first is light, the second one is heavy.

7:10 "Sh", "zh", "fish", "pleasure".

7:13 Okay?

7:14 Good.

7:15 And the next pair is "k", "k", "k" as in "key", "k", "k".

7:22 So if you can feel where your tongue is

7:26 sort of going towards the back of your throat,

7:30 "k", "k", "k" to make the "k" sound.

7:34 And then "g", "g", "g", much heavier, "g", "g", "g",

7:38 but your tongue is in the same place for that.

7:43 So, "k" as in "key", and "g" as in "get".

7:51 Okay?

7:52 And then the last pair is "s", "s", "s",

7:58 "s" as in "soon", and "z", "z", "z" as in "zero".

8:06 So, "s", "s", "s", "s", "z", "z", "z", "z", "z",

8:09 you'll feel your tongue is in the same position for both of those.

8:15 Okay.

8:15 Good.

8:17 Right, so those are all the pairs,

8:20 and now these are just the single ones that don't belong in a pair.

8:25 So, we have the "h" sound, "h".

8:28 If you "h", "h", "h", breathe on your hand, "h",

8:33 you should be able to feel "h", "h", the heat from your breath, "h".

8:40 So, "hot", "h", "hot", "h", "h", "hot".

8:45 So that's "h" as in "hot".

8:49 And then the "l", "l", "l",

8:51 you have your tongue touching the roof of your mouth, "l", "l", "l", "l", "l".

8:58 So, "l" as in "lead", "lead", "lead".

9:02 Okay.

9:04 "M" as in "some", so you bring your lips together, "m", "m", "m", "m".

9:14 "Some", "some".

9:15 Okay.

9:16 And then "n" as in "sun", so your lips aren't totally together,

9:23 you've got "n", "n", "n" as in "sun",

9:27 but then "sun", and you keep your lips a little bit more open,

9:34 "n", "n", "n", "sun", "sun".

9:36 And your tongue should be up on the roof of your mouth, "sun", "n", "n", "sun".

9:44 Okay.

9:46 And then this is "sun" with a "g" added,

9:51 so "sung", "ung", "ung", "ung", "ung", "ung".

9:55 So this is the symbol for "ng",

9:59 "ng", so "ng" together, "sung", "ng", "ng", "ng".

10:04 Okay.

10:05 And then "r" as in "red", "r", "red", "red".

10:12 Okay.

10:12 Where your tongue will curl back into your mouth to make the English "r" sound.

10:22 It's not like, for example, a French sounding "r", "r", "r",

10:28 "r", where your tongue is catching at the back of your throat.

10:33 The English "r", "r", "r".

10:36 You bring your lips together, "r",

10:38 but curl your tongue back towards the back of your throat, "r", "r", "r", "r".

10:45 "Red", "red", "red".

10:47 You'll see another of my videos all about pronouncing "r" in English,

10:54 so have a look for that one if you'd like to practice that.

11:00 Okay.

11:00 And then "w" as in "wet", "w".

11:05 So, "w", "w", "w", "w", "w", "w", "w", "w".

11:11 Bring your lips together like that.

11:15 Okay.

11:15 "Wet".

11:16 And finally, although it looks like a "j", this is the symbol,

11:23 phonetic symbol, it's actually "y", "y", "y", "y", "y", as in "yet", "yet".

11:30 Okay.

11:31 So, I hope that's been a helpful run-through

11:37 of all the consonants that you use in English,

11:44 whether it's British English or American English,

11:48 it's the same more or less, except "r" in American English,

11:55 sometimes you hear a more pronounced "r",

11:59 and also in some parts of the UK, some areas,

12:04 different regions might make more of an "r" sound,

12:09 but that is a variation within the UK.

12:15 So, I hope that's been helpful.

12:19 So, thank you for watching, and I hope to see you again soon.

12:24 Bye for now.